The gyuto is modeled after the French pattern chef's knife. Longer and slimmer than the santoku, it is well suited to slicing and chopping -- an ideal general purpose chef's knife. The long blade is needed for the sawing motion required to slice meats and vegetables and the slim profile keeps the weight low and the balance perfect.

Yoshikane's Suminagashi Traditional Hocho are each individually handmade. He begins hand forging each piece with a V2S carbon steel core (hagane). Jigane (outer layers) are made by repeatedly folding together layers of different types of steels, creating a unique "wood pattern" on the side of the knife called suminagashi or damascus. V2S comes from Takefu, is easy to sharpen, and holds an exceptional edge. The blade is tempered to Rockwell c63-64. The time consuming forging process imparts a visual tension to the blade and a brilliant sharpness to the long lasting cutting edge.

The blade is distal tapered for optimal balance and has an extremely thin, keen edge for the highest performance. Because the blade is forged from carbon steels, these knives must be dried after use to prevent rust or tarnish. We recommend using camellia oil for easier care.

The ambidextrous, half-octagonal handle is formed from ho wood, a close relative of magnolia. The handle has front and rear buffalo horn ferrules. Each blade comes razor sharp.